Leafy greens time after 3rd July

In our garden in Auckland NZ, the open ground is too cold for much success sowing seeds and planting there.

Sow seeds for leafy greens if you have

a hot-house,

tunnel-house,

conservatory or

warm, bright window

Best times for planting seeds of greens?

After the new moon on Wednesday 3rd July 2019 [which always gives the possibility of a new beginning] is the best week to plant for lush leafy greens.

The best days are very few: Thursday 4th just until 2.20 pm , then again on the morning of Tuesday 9th July 2019 only! [here in New Zealand].

In Auckland the weather is cold and the ground is cold and wet.

This is a time I grow micro-greens or sprouts instead now.

Red clover sprouts a few days old 20161102

Alfalfa sprouts in jar 20170520

Sprouts from top left to right – soybeans x2, lentils, mung beans; then below are more lentils [I use different varieties] and alfalfa

For more about our experiments with sprouts and micro-greens, go here.

If you already have leafy greens growing, do keep in mind that snails and slugs love tender greens! Check your growing crops and protect them from these beasties which can devastate tender plants.

We surround seedlings with a protective barrier where possible. These ones have been reused over and over so I am happy with them. We also use an assortment of cut-down plastic containers to surround seedlings.

If you like experiments about when to plant for best results, a great one is to plant the same seeds in rows right beside each other [so all other conditions are identical], and label the rows with the date of planting. Then sow seeds from 1 packet at weekly intervals, each week in a new row.

This way you can see how the recommendations for best/worst seed sowing outcomes from moon-planting guides work for you. Maybe they do, and maybe they don’t.

I enjoy experimenting with such ideas – and if only I can rescue the rows from the snails and black-birds, I might even get some results to share!